Chapter 50
“Don’t you run from me! Get back here!” she yelled at the imaginary butterfly.
Seeing her teetering precariously, the old man cried out to his son. “Catch her before she falls p>
Theodore glanced at the time. If it weren’t so late, he would have called the police.
“Whoa p>
Penelope finally lost her balance. Fearing she would crack her head open on the marble floor, Theodore rushed forward. He meant to steady her, but his hand accidentally brushed against something soft. He instinctively recoiled, and in that split second, she latched onto him like a limpet.
To make matters worse, her face collided with his, her lips landing squarely on his. The pungent smell of alcohol filled his mouth.
His face darkening, Theodore tried to push her away, but she clung to him, her head resting on his shoulder.
“Mmm, you smell nice she murmured.
He shot a murderous glare at Mr. Johnson, who cleared his throat awkwardly. “Why don’t you, uh, carry her upstairs? I’m just going to… head to bed p>
With that, he started to flee.
“If you ever want grandchildren, you will never let her drink again,” Theodore called after him.
His father paused. “I thought you said you weren’t going to marry her. Why do you care if she drinks p>
Theodore’s eyes narrowed. “Do you have another candidate in mind p>
“Penelope is the only one. She’s the best, the one who’s perfect for you p>
“So I have no other choice p>
“Not unless you want me to die with regrets p>
Theodore sighed heavily. “Then keep her away from alcohol. Otherwise, forget three months; you won’t be holding a grandchild in three years p>
Mr. Johnson chuckled. “Sounds like you’re quite pleased with her p>
“It wouldn’t matter who it was,” Theodore said coldly. He then lifted Penelope into his arms and carried her upstairs.
He placed her on the large bed and was about to leave when she suddenly threw her arms around him, her words muffled by sleep and tears.
“Mom, I miss you so much, but I’m too scared to visit you… I was wrong… so wrong p>
Her tears soaked through his shirt, warm against his skin.
He’d had her investigated, more thoroughly than his father ever could, so he knew her story. Her mother had killed her abusive father in self-defense and had avoided a prison sentence. She had remarried and had a son, and for a while, they were a happy family.
But Penelope’s paternal grandfather, unable to forgive, had tried to run her mother down with his car. Her
stepfather pushed her mother out of
the hit himself and
the way hit
taking
losing a leg. After that, his family
turned on Penelope and her mother,
branding them as bad luck. Out of
guilt, her mother endured their cruelty and expected Penelope to do the same.
The tension finally exploded when it was time for Penelope to choose a college. Her mother threatened to kill herself if she applied to any school in Orenth believing the city was the source of all their misfortune. But Penelope, for reasons of her own, insisted on Orenth University. After a massive fight, she left home.
They didn’t see each other for seven years.
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By the time of Penelope’s accident, her mother was in the final stages of stomach cancer. She had come to Orenth to see her daughter one last time, but unaware
of the accident, she believed Penelope was still angry and refused to see her. She died full of regret.
“Mom, I’m sorry. Can you ever
forgive me?” Penelope sobbed, her
.n
body shaking with grief. She never allowed herself to think about it, instead pouring all her energy into moving forward, proving she had made the right choices. But the further she went, the more lost she felt, until she could no longer see the path back home.